Orenthal James Simpson (July 9, 1947 – April 10, 2024) was an American football player, actor, and broadcaster. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills, and is regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time. Once a popular figure with the American public, Simpson's professional success was later overshadowed by his trial and controversial acquittal for the murders of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994.
Simpson played college football for the USC Trojans, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior, and was selected first overall by the Bills in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft. During his nine seasons with the Bills, Simpson received five consecutive Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections from 1972 to 1976. He also led the league in rushing yards four times, in rushing touchdowns twice, and in points scored in 1975. In 1973, he became the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, earning him NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP), and is the only NFL player to do so in a 14-game regular season. Simpson holds the record for the single-season yards-per-game average at 143.1. After retiring with the San Francisco 49ers in 1979, Simpson pursued an acting and broadcasting career. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
In June 1994, Simpson was arrested and charged with the murders of Brown and Goldman. He was acquitted in a lengthy and internationally publicized trial, but found liable for the deaths three years later in a civil suit from the victims' families. Prior to his death, Simpson had paid little of the $33.5 million judgment (equivalent to $64 million in 2023).
In 2007, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, and charged with armed robbery and kidnapping. In 2008, he was convicted and sentenced to 33 years' imprisonment, with a minimum of nine years without parole. He served his sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center near Lovelock, Nevada. He was granted parole in July 2017, released from prison in October, and granted early release from his parole in December 2021 by the Nevada Division of Parole and Probation. He died in 2024 at the age of 76 from prostate cancer.
Description above from the Wikipedia article O. J. Simpson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Detective Tom Lange And The O.J. Simpson Case (Part 1)
Himself (Archival Footage)
2025
American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson
Self (archive footage) · (4 episodes)
2025
The Menendez Brothers
Self (archive footage)
2024
TMZ Presents | O.J.: How He Really Did It
Self (archive footage)
2024
The Life & Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson
Self (archive footage) - Nicole's Husband
2024
Most Famous Murder: The O.J. Simpson Trial
Himself (Archival)
2024
O.J. Simpson: Blood, Lies & Murder
Self
2023
Killer Sally
Self - Acquitted of Double Homicide (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2022
The Problem with Jon Stewart
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2021
When Ruby Wax Met...
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2021
Tiger King
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2020
OJ25
(25 episodes)
2020
Dark Side of the Ring
(1 episode)
2019
Basketball: A Love Story
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2018
O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession?
Self (archive footage)
2018
O.J.: Guilty in Vegas
Himself (archive footage)
2017
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2017
O.J.: Made in America
Self (archive footage) · (5 episodes)
2016
O.J.: Made in America
Self (archive footage)
2016
Buzzfeed Unsolved: True Crime
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2016
O.J. Speaks: The Hidden Tapes
Himself (archive footage)
2015
The Secret Tapes of the O.J. Case: The Untold Story
Self
2015
2012: Time for Change
Self (archive footage)
2010
History of the Buffalo Bills
Self (archive footage)
2009
Juiced with O.J. Simpson
Himself
2006
Midnight Blue, Vol. 3: Celebrities Edition
Self (archive footage)
2006
Bamboozled
Self (archive footage)(uncredited)
2000
Absolutely 100% Guilty
Himself
1999
O.J. Simpson: The Interview
Self
1996
Ruby Wax Meets
(1 episode)
1996
O.J. Fitness: Minimum Maintenance Fitness for Men
Himself
1994
Fall from Grace: O.J.'s Last Run
Himself (Archival Footage)
1994
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
Nordberg
1994
No Place to Hide
Allie Wheeler
1992
C.I.A. Code Name: Alexa
Nick Murphy
1992
Adventures in Wonderland
O.J. Simpson · (1 episode)
1992
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear
Nordberg
1991
The Record Breakers
Self (archive footage)
1991
Richard Lewis: I'm Doomed
Self
1990
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary
Self
1989
Monday Night Madness
Self
1989
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Nordberg
1988
Student Exchange
Soccer Coach
1987
Back to the Beach
Man At Airport (uncredited)
1987
1st & Ten
T.D. Parker · (67 episodes)
1984
Hambone and Hillie
Tucker
1983
Cocaine and Blue Eyes
Michael Brennen
1983
Late Night with David Letterman
Self · (1 episode)
1982
Entertainment Tonight
Self · (1 episode)
1981
Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood
Joe Gallagher
1981
The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story
Self
1980
Detour to Terror
Lee Hayes
1980
The Sensational Shocking Wonderful Wacky 70's
Self (archive footage)
1980
Goldie and the Boxer
Joe Gallagher
1979
Wide World of Sports: 1970's A Decade in Review
(archive footage)
1979
Firepower
Catlett
1979
Superstunt II
Self
1979
Mickey's 50
Self
1978
Capricorn One
Cmdr. John Walker
1977
A Killing Affair
Woodrow York
1977
Roots
Kadi Touray · (1 episode)
1977
The Cassandra Crossing
Haley
1976
Killer Force
Alexander
1976
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host · (1 episode)
1975
O.J. Simpson: Juice on the Loose
Self
1974
The Towering Inferno
Jernigan
1974
The Klansman
Garth
1974
Why?
The Athlete
1973
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Simms · (1 episode)
1971
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
(1 episode)
1971
Monday Night Football
Running Back · (8 episodes)
1970
The Dream of Hamish Mose
1969
Medical Center
(1 episode)
1969
Here's Lucy
O.J. Simpson · (1 episode)
1968
The Name of the Game
Gas Chamber Prison Guard (uncredited) · (1 episode)
1968
It Takes a Thief
Airplane Passenger (uncredited) · (1 episode)
1968
Ironside
Onlooker (uncredited) · (1 episode)
1967
Dragnet
Potential Recruit (uncredited) · (1 episode)
1967
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self · (3 episodes)
1962
The Merv Griffin Show
Self · (1 episode)
1962
The Mike Douglas Show
Self · (1 episode)
1961
The Wonderful World of Disney
Self · (1 episode)
1954
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self · (1 episode)
1948